1. Technical Field
This invention relates to robotic parts handler system for removing containers filled with articles such as mail or packages from a high speed sorting, feeding and/or stacking apparatus and conveying the container, tray, or a cartridge for containing flat articles such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,076 by Harres et al. issued on Nov. 10, 1998 and incorporated herein by reference, to a selected location for insertion into another conveying system, transport device, carrier, or other apparatus at extremely high speeds.
2. Background Information
Articles of mail and packages are typically sorted, stacked, and conveyed by apparatus such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,634,562; 5,582,324; 5,562,195; 5,422,821; 5,201,397; all of which are incorporated by reference herein. A typical sorting and stacking apparatus is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 consisting of a rectangular frame utilizing a plurality of receptacles and roller belt systems to convey, sort, and stack postal letters in accordance with a bar code or other indicia indicative of a particular destination. The articles are then fed into containers or boxes, whereby individuals detach the boxes upon filling, stack them on a cart, conveyor belt, or other means of moving, and transport the containers filled with mail articles to a distribution point.
The present mail distribution system is inherently inefficient in that the sorting, stacking, and conveying system is a highly automated high speed system capable of sorting and moving articles in a few seconds; however, the containers are manually carried by mail persons. Thus, the high speed equipment is frequently idle due to the inability of the mail persons to remove and replace the containers at a corresponding high rate of speed.
The present invention eliminates the necessary of mail persons to work in close proximity to the high speed operating equipment thereby eliminating the hazards associated therewith and the strenuous physical activities associated with moving the containers from the sorting apparatus to the distribution point manually. Moreover, conventional equipment utilizes a number of actuators, usually one for each mail slot or port requiring extensive maintenance and a large capital investment in equipment.
The present invention defines a robotic parts handling system having a platform forming a base including at least one linear servo magnetic motor affixed to and extending along the side beneath the platform. The platform is supported by a track including a first master rail and a second minor balancing rail. A plurality of supporting rollers supporting and hold the platform to the first master rail and the second minor balancing rail. A plurality of magnets mounted along the length of the first master rail are in cooperative magnetic engagement with the at least one linear servo magnetic motor. A plurality of positioning rollers mounted to the platform maintain a constant distance between the linear servo magnetic motor and the magnets mounted to the first master rail. A computer control unit controls and coordinates movement of the robot along the rails and the operation of the end effectors. A magnetic strip provides a means in close proximity to the rail for generating pulses readable by a reader in communication with the control unit for positioning the platform at selected positions upon the rail. A frame mounted upon the platform includes at least one pair of vertical rails spaced apart from and in alignment with one another. A pair of slide members, each one including a plurality of rollers cooperatively engage the vertical rails. A pair of timing belts provide means extending along the vertical rails in cooperative engagement with the slide members for moving the slide members up and down independently of one another along the Y-axis. A saddle having distal ends extending in between the vertical rails attaching to the slide members permit the saddle to be tiltable from side to side. An air cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or servo driven ball screw (electric cylinder) provides a means for tilting the saddle from front to back along the x-axis. At least one end effector mounted onto the saddle includes means for engaging and removing a container from a preselected position on one side of the platform and transferring the container to the opposite side of the platform and positioning and releasing the container in a selected location. One such means includes a conveyor having timing belts with protrusions for cooperative engagement with opposing depressions formed on the bottom of a cartridge container.
The present invention defines a high speed robotic container handling system having a digital magnetic positioning system, a platform frame having a linear servo motor thereon moveable along a pair of rails one of which includes magnets affixed thereto. The platform supports a pair of frame members supporting a tiltable saddle which supports one or more end effectors with actuators and conveyor capacity for interfacing with containers or cartridges filled with mail or the like held in multiple bins or slots on either side of the rails at selected sites up or down the track rails. In one preferred embodiment, the robotic container handling system removes containers filled with articles from the sorting apparatus, transfers and inserts them within a buffer and releasing them therein, moves to a position in alignment with the buffer containing an empty container(s) and extracts the container(s) therefrom, and inserts the container(s) into an empty location of the sorting machine; thereafter, repeating the cycle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot to interface with a container, tray, or cartridge for receiving letter mail from an existing belt distribution system that guides the mail pieces into the tray at speeds up to 10 pieces per second.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot to interface with a container, tray, or cartridge wherein the tray has an onboard lock-up means that retains the mail as the tray is used for off-system storage and/or transportation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an end effector for manipulating the tray and interacting with the mail belt system and the tray at high speed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for loading the tray containing mail onto the end effector, transport it to a position determined by an overall system controlling computer and unload the tray containing mail at a selected location at a selected time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor module as a part of the end effector assembly which utilizes a belt having protrusions with interlock with opposing cavities and/or protrusions on the bottom surface of the tray allowing trays weighing in excess of twenty-five pounds to be handled at very high speeds and accelerations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot having a platform base powered by linear servo magnetic motors providing a very high acceleration and deceleration and the ability to park the entire system consistently within 0.010 inches of a preselected position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot powered by a linear magnetic motor which is cooperatively magnetically engageable with a master rail having a plurality of permanent magnets affixed thereto together with nonferrous guide rollers which maintain a necessary selected gap of about 0.020 of an inch between the motor and rail magnets in order to drive the unit back and forth in the X-axis with high speed and precision.
It is an object of the present invention for the linear motor and magnetic rail system to be adaptable with the platform of the robot for moving the robot over flat surfaces such as a floor with the aid of a second minor rail or balancing rail and for the entire track and robot to be suspended above the ground.